I first met Geoffrey when  first in London I was hired to work on the passenger survey by Margery… Incredibly at least to me that was more than forty years ago and let it be said  that the survey legacy may still be seen at points of entry to this country, albeit not the rag tag group of survey staff  that we were, but  a credible uniformed and accepted part of 

Arrivals and Departure scene at ports of entry, who basically use the same questionnaire and methods devised by his department to   inform the government of the comings and goings of people ,and their  money! I know that the work Geoffrey Thomas  did with the COI is legend but to us he was just Geoffrey.

I’ve often wondered if he had an inkling  of the vast family connections he was marrying into. Margery and Geoffrey had the fortune or misfortune to live in London and of course

to London we all came in vast numbers. Always welcoming and hospitable we filled their summers and winters with our visits. Sometimes we overlapped and as we all spread out

Crescent court became the center of our family.  The hospitality was legendary and Geoffrey would spoil us with his culinary expertise and such  exotics as charlotte malenkov , and  with driving us all over the countryside to share  favourite haunts .     .  For us there were many trips from Canada as I worked for the  airline… sometimes on the spur of the moment and sometimes  just for the weekend but they rose to the occasion met us at the airport and we’d be off to Cambridge or Chichester or famously  to  Wales to camp.  Perhaps some of you remember Geoffrey the camper….   A wild part of the country  that was, but we Canadians were impressed at the proximity of the farmers field to the nearest pub and good food….fine to rough it but ….  He told us stories of biking  all over the country in his twenties. ..although  its hard to believe  anyone could have biked  anywhere traffic being what it is… well except  for the brave ones like Stewart and David.Then later  he even took our visits with small children, and  even small children on their own in transit, in his stride.

Then came the cottage… what a love he had for the downs,the  garden –breakfasting  in  the sun at the bottom of the terrace and  in his chair, always reading, wearing his panama hat,stick at his side..the same picture comes to mind on our trip to the Stewart’s cottage in Normandy… Geoffrey looking for all the world like a character from Greene sitting  reading under the hat beside a small table  and happy for us to be  milking the cows and herding the sheep…but  that’s another story. On the subject of reading we once accompanied to the London Library..an incredible Institution which I had no inkling existed and which was very much party of his life.  We remember the flint wall, materials for which we all scoured the downs, that  he built with the same love and patience that he showed when  making his  famous lute.   Then there was “RED ROUGH” the little red sail boat that pitched and tossed us about under the white cliffs with Geoffrey  and John in their element and Margery, Clive and I not quite as enthusiastic.

More memories..Once on a visit to us in Montreal ,having just come back by train from Ottawa from a visit to Stat Can, and in response to our enquiry as to how he enjoyed the trip..well he said I saw a lot of trees with their feet in the water.

He always could hit the nail on the head.

Thanks  Geoffrey for the good times and the memories. We were lucky to have you as a cousin and a good friend,and we’ll miss you and always think of you as in the picture, sunning yourself in the annerly.